Today’s Top Story

Study: Greater LOS Is Associated with Increased 90-day Readmissions after Total Joint Arthroplasty

Length of stay (LOS) of two or more days after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) is associated with an increased risk of 90-day readmission, according to a retrospective study published in the March issue of the Journal of the AAOS: Global Research & Reviews ®. TKA and THA patients were identified via the PearlDiver database and divided into a control group (one-day LOS) and a study group (two- to four-day LOS). TKA and THA patients with a LOS of two to four days had greater 90-day readmission rates compared with patients with a one-day LOS.

Read the study…

 
 
 
 
In Other News

Study: NFL Players with Metacarpal Fractures Miss Less than Three Weeks and Return to Play in Same Season

In a retrospective study published online in The Journal of Hand Surgery, most NFL players with metacarpal fractures missed <3 weeks of play and returned within the same season. Fractures recorded between 2012 to 2018 in the NFL Injury Database were evaluated. Of 208 injuries, 39 percent were treated operatively with a median return to play of 15 days. Seventy-one percent of injured players missed time. Return to play for thumb fractures was slower compared with other metacarpal fractures, especially among patients who received nonsurgical treatment (median, 55 days versus 24 days for operative treatment).

Read the abstract…

 
 
 
 
Study Investigates Occurrence of Falls following Foot and Ankle Surgery

A retrospective study published online in Foot & Ankle International found a high incidence of falls in the first six weeks after foot and ankle surgery. A total of 135 patients (median age, 52 years; BMI, 32.7) completed a fall questionnaire at two and six weeks postoperatively. Eighty percent of patients were treated via outpatient procedures. Overall, 28.9 percent of patients reported falls within the first six weeks postoperatively. Independent risk factors for falls included antidepressant use and higher visual analog scale pain scores at two weeks postoperatively.

Read the abstract…

 
 
 
Study: Barriers to Incorporating and Using PROMs in Clinical Care

Despite availability of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), there are barriers to incorporating them in clinical care, according to a study published in the April issue of Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research. The researchers conducted a cross-sectional interview study of orthopaedic surgeons working in a single healthcare system. According to the respondents, PROMs were not being used due to barriers such as display issues, time required, patient understanding, and reliability of measures. Surgeons agreed that changes such as PROM scores in physicians’ inboxes, inserts for physician notes, easily understood graphics, and earlier PROM engagements could increase use.

Read the abstract…

 
 
 
CMS Releases FY 2023 Medicare Inpatient Pay Rule

On April 18, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) rule, which proposes to adopt the Hospital-level Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) and/or Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) Patient Reported Outcome-based Performance measure (NQF #3559), the Hospital-level Risk-standardized Complication Rate Following Elective Primary THA/TKA measure (NQF #1550), as well as refinements to some existing musculoskeletal measures. CMS also included a request for information on metrics for social determinants of health. AAOS will be commenting on this rule by June 17.

Read the fact sheet…

 
 
 
AAOS Now

New AAOS President Felix H. “Buddy” Savoie III, MD, Says Members Work Best When Working Together

At the Your Academy event at the AAOS 2022 Annual Meeting, newly appointed AAOS President Felix H. “Buddy” Savoie III, MD, FAAOS, opened his presidential address by discussing AAOS members’ common goal: patient care. “Each and every one of us is—or should be—united in this common goal,” said Dr. Savoie. “Let’s take care of our patients to the best of our ability, and let’s get better together as we do it.”

Read more…

 
 
 
Your AAOS

Podcast Focuses on Impact of Consolidation on Musculoskeletal Care

In the final episode of a three-part series from the AAOS Advocacy Podcast, three AAOS Fellows discuss the impact of consolidation in musculoskeletal care. Host Douglas Lundy, MD, MBA, FAAOS, AAOS Advocacy Council Chair, gathers insights from his guests on how consolidation affects quality patient care, competition, cost, and value. James W. Barber, MD, FAAOS, of Southeastern Orthopaedics, Frederic E. Liss, MD, FAAOS, of the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute, and Ronald A. Navarro, MD, FAAOS, of Kaiser Permanente, discuss how consolidation has impacted their practice settings, which range from rural and independent to urban and highly consolidated.

Listen to the eipsode…